Alonso frets over strong race form obscured by Aston Martin weakness

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin’s current Formula 1 form is “not good enough” after what he described as an “inspired weekend” of driving only netted him an 11th-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix. Aston Martin is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship but has scored just six points across the last four races, failing to get on the board in Monza. That came despite Alonso believing he outperformed the car in Italy as he was classified just one second behind ninth-placed Alex Albon. He says the drivers are having to be patient with the team but emphasized the need for improvements. “Nothing we can do,” Alonso said. “I mean, we are in our team’s hands, and I think Lance and myself, we’re trying to do the best we can every weekend. One inspired weekend, like this from my side, I know it’s — Monza 2024 from Alonso — going to be completely anonymous but I think this year Lance and myself have been very close — two or three seconds away at the end of the race is always in front or behind. “And was one of those weekends that I was a little bit better, and I was happy with the car and pushing to the level that maybe was beyond 100%, and that was P11. So yeah, disappointed about that. “We need to be patient. We need to understand that the big target is 2026. But at the same time, I think as a team, we could accept not being in the top-four battle. They are top teams and they are well in front of us. But now to be behind Williams, behind Haas, behind Toro Rosso, I think we need to raise the bar a little bit. We need to get better.” Alonso doesn’t expect to see Aston Martin being more competitive in Baku or Singapore, as he believes the car’s current level was on display in Italy. “No. I think until we have an upgrade on the car, this is what it is, and this is not good enough,” he said. “Not good enough in Monza. Not good in Zandvoort, in Spa, in Hungary. So I don’t think there’s going to be a big change in Baku or Singapore or Austin unless we bring new parts. “That’s the plan. The team is aware of the situation. The team is working flat out. So yeah, we keep united. We keep pushing. Last weekend was one point. was close to two points, and that will be our battle. “I think we still have time to react. It’s the first of September. McLaren improved in four months from last to the podium. So we have clear examples. Also, Mercedes started the same as us. We were level with Mercedes for the first four races, and they won three races already this year. So I’m not a fan of excuses.” Although Adrian Newey is expected to be confirmed to be joining the team next week, Alonso downplayed how much immediate impact the legendary designer could have given what Aston Martin already has at its disposal. “Well, there’s still only rumors, and I think it’s not only one man’s job to fix things,” he said. “It’s more what we have now and what we are producing. Understanding what is going in the right direction, what is going in the wrong direction, and try to prepare 2025 in a better way.”